perverse
adjective
per·verse
(ˌ)pər-ˈvərs 
ˈpər-ˌvərs
1
2
a
: obstinate in opposing what is right, reasonable, or accepted : wrongheaded
b
: arising from or indicative of stubbornness or obstinacy
3
: marked by peevishness or petulance : cranky
4
: marked by perversion
Synonyms
Examples of perverse in a Sentence
their perverse cruelty to animals
She has a perverse fascination with death.
He seems to take perverse pleasure in making things as difficult as possible.
His friends all enjoy his perverse sense of humor.
Is this some kind of perverse joke?
Recent Examples on the Web
Still, the dominant presence across the first three episodes is Park, whose flair for balletic violence and perverse comedy is perfectly suited to the material at hand.
—
Alison Herman, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
The video showed Hamas operatives breaking into homes, setting fires to force people out, systematically executing innocents and taking a perverse joy in the mass murder of Jews.
—Shelley Zimmerman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2024
Except the Illinois government. State law allows the treasurer to divert unclaimed property to the State Pensions Fund, creating a perverse financial incentive that federal courts have acknowledged in cases out of Indiana and New Jersey.
—Daryl James, Orange County Register, 30 Mar. 2024
Much like the rumor about Willie Bennett shared by a few teens in a Mission Hill smoke session, this, too, was a perverse game of telephone.
—Seyward Darby, Longreads, 19 Mar. 2024
Despite their perverse effects, the price controls persisted in some form until Ronald Reagan abolished them entirely in January 1981.
—Daniel Foster, National Review, 30 Nov. 2023
That’s because the agency’s duty is to stand in the way of anyone desiring to push unsafe and ineffective drugs and devices at unwary consumers for profit, and also to stand in the way of a perverse idea that personal freedom includes the freedom to be gulled by charlatans.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
The second enemy is hotel workers, who are likely well aware of the perverse cooking happening in Barfly’s bathroom.
—Jonathan Dale / The Takeout, Quartz, 17 Mar. 2024
Saltburn reigned supreme as the most polarizing film of the year, with some (including EW) hailing it as a perverse psychosexual thriller and others deriding its outré storytelling.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 4 Mar. 2024
Alison Herman, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
The video showed Hamas operatives breaking into homes, setting fires to force people out, systematically executing innocents and taking a perverse joy in the mass murder of Jews.
—Shelley Zimmerman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2024
Except the Illinois government. State law allows the treasurer to divert unclaimed property to the State Pensions Fund, creating a perverse financial incentive that federal courts have acknowledged in cases out of Indiana and New Jersey.
—Daryl James, Orange County Register, 30 Mar. 2024
Much like the rumor about Willie Bennett shared by a few teens in a Mission Hill smoke session, this, too, was a perverse game of telephone.
—Seyward Darby, Longreads, 19 Mar. 2024
Despite their perverse effects, the price controls persisted in some form until Ronald Reagan abolished them entirely in January 1981.
—Daniel Foster, National Review, 30 Nov. 2023
That’s because the agency’s duty is to stand in the way of anyone desiring to push unsafe and ineffective drugs and devices at unwary consumers for profit, and also to stand in the way of a perverse idea that personal freedom includes the freedom to be gulled by charlatans.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
The second enemy is hotel workers, who are likely well aware of the perverse cooking happening in Barfly’s bathroom.
—Jonathan Dale / The Takeout, Quartz, 17 Mar. 2024
Saltburn reigned supreme as the most polarizing film of the year, with some (including EW) hailing it as a perverse psychosexual thriller and others deriding its outré storytelling.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 4 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'perverse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near perverse
Cite this Entry
“Perverse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/perverse. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
perverse
adjective
per·verse
(ˌ)pər-ˈvərs
ˈpər-ˌvərs
1
: morally bad : corrupt
2
: stubborn in opposing what is right, reasonable, or accepted : wrongheaded
4
: marked by perversion : perverted
perversely
adverb
perverseness
noun
Medical Definition
perverse
adjective
per·verse
pər-ˈvərs
: being, relating to, or characterized by perversion
perverse sexual behavior
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